﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  15 
  

  

  spotted, 
  but 
  hardly 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  at 
  Henry; 
  the 
  blue 
  points 
  were 
  rather 
  

   small 
  and 
  thin 
  posteriorly. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  bed, 
  extending 
  from 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  railroad 
  

   bridge 
  to 
  300 
  yards 
  below, 
  having 
  a 
  width 
  nearly 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

   The 
  current 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  per 
  hour; 
  the 
  bottom 
  clay 
  and 
  sand; 
  

   the 
  banks 
  low 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  and 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  two-bar 
  haul 
  over 
  the 
  lower 
  

   end 
  of 
  this 
  bed: 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  61 
  

  

  Fat 
  mucket 
  25 
  

  

  Washboard 
  24 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  22 
  

  

  Lady-finger 
  22 
  

  

  Warty-back 
  17 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  17 
  

  

  Mucket 
  12 
  

  

  Three-horned 
  shell 
  7 
  

  

  Butterfly 
  3 
  

  

  Black 
  sand-shell 
  3 
  

  

  Slough 
  sand-shell 
  8 
  

  

  Rock-shell 
  2 
  

  

  Niggerhead 
  1 
  

  

  Maple-leaf 
  1 
  

  

  Purple 
  warty-back 
  1 
  

  

  Elephant-ear 
  1 
  

  

  Paper-shell 
  1 
  

  

  Total 
  223 
  

  

  Formerly 
  niggerheads 
  would 
  average 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  per 
  haul, 
  but 
  now 
  

   only 
  an 
  occasional 
  one 
  is 
  found. 
  This 
  bed 
  does 
  fairly 
  well 
  on 
  rising 
  

   water, 
  yielding 
  about 
  500 
  per 
  day. 
  

  

  Opposite 
  and 
  extending 
  below 
  Chillicothe, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  bed, 
  

   100 
  yards 
  by 
  one-half 
  mile, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  being 
  worked 
  much 
  this 
  

   year. 
  Durmg 
  1911 
  a 
  $3,000 
  pearl 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  this 
  place. 
  

  

  A 
  mile 
  above 
  Rome 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  mussel 
  bed, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  

   hang-ups, 
  little 
  shelling 
  was 
  done. 
  We 
  lost 
  our 
  bar 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  haul 
  

   and 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  abandon 
  this 
  place. 
  Just 
  below, 
  another 
  

   good 
  bed, 
  one-fourth 
  by 
  1 
  mile, 
  yields 
  mostly 
  washboards 
  and 
  blue 
  

   points. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  fine 
  little 
  bed, 
  25 
  feet 
  by 
  300 
  yards, 
  1 
  mile 
  below 
  

   Rome, 
  but 
  since 
  it 
  has 
  scarcely 
  been 
  touched, 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  trash 
  

   and 
  water 
  plants. 
  The 
  yield 
  is 
  largely 
  blue 
  points 
  and 
  three-ridges. 
  

  

  At 
  Sand 
  Beach 
  Bar, 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  Spring 
  Bay, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  bed, 
  

   200 
  yards 
  by 
  one-fourth 
  mile. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  soft 
  mud, 
  

   with 
  some 
  sand 
  and 
  many 
  dead 
  shells. 
  A 
  series 
  of 
  dip-net 
  hauls 
  

   showed 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  shells, 
  mostly 
  blue 
  points 
  and 
  pig- 
  

   toes. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  dams 
  and 
  the 
  excess 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  

   drainage 
  canal, 
  this 
  bar 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  water 
  the 
  entire 
  year. 
  On 
  

   many 
  low 
  points 
  and 
  banks 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  drowned 
  timber, 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  cause. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  bed, 
  one-fourth 
  by 
  1| 
  miles, 
  at 
  the 
  narrows 
  

   below 
  Spring 
  Bay. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  soft 
  mud, 
  clay, 
  and 
  dead 
  shells; 
  

   depth 
  of 
  water 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  feet; 
  fair 
  current. 
  A 
  comparison 
  of 
  two 
  hauls, 
  

   one 
  made 
  with 
  an 
  ordinary 
  mussel 
  bar 
  of 
  98 
  hooks, 
  distance 
  50 
  

   yards, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  with 
  an 
  18-inch 
  dip 
  net, 
  50-yard 
  circle, 
  is 
  given 
  

   in 
  table 
  7. 
  

  

  